Monday, September 15, 2014

Denzel Washington is a man constantly on the
move. Never content to just repeat his successes, the two-time Academy
Award-winner (for Glory and Training Day) is always searching for new
challenges through his numerous and varied film and stage portrayals.

From Trip, the
embittered runaway slave in Glory
to South African freedom fighter Steven Biko in Cry Freedom; from Shakespeare's tragic historical figure Richard III to the rogue detective
Alonzo in Training Day; to his
recent critically-acclaimed performance as the addicted airline pilot Whip
Whitaker in Flight, Denzel has
amazed and entertained audiences with a rich array of characters distinctly his
own.

The talented thespian has also starred in 2 Guns, Safe
House, Unstoppable, The Book Of Eli, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, American Gangster, Inside Man, Déjà Vu, Man on Fire, The
Manchurian Candidate and Out Of Time, to name a few. And his next film
as director was The Great Debaters, where he co-starred opposite Forest
Whitaker.

Here, Denzel and director Antoine Fuqua discuss their
reuniting to collaborate again on The Equalizer.

Kam
Williams: Hi Denzel and Antoine, thanks for the
interview. I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with the two of you.

Denzel Washington: Our pleasure!

Antoine Fuqua:
Yeah, thanks Kam.

KW:
I want you to know that I loved this film and also your previous one, Antoine,
Olympus Has Fallen. Thanks for using my quote on the DVD. I hope I get blurbed
for this one, too.

AF:
Of course! You’re welcome.

KW:
I have more questions for you two from readers than you could ever answer, but
I hope we can get through a lot of them.

DW:
Go!

KW:Film Student Jamaal Green doesn’t
have a question, but says: You are both an inspiration to me and many of my
peers who are pursuing a career in filmmaking. Thank you for your dedication to
your craft.

AF:
Thank you Jamal!

KW:
Children’s book author Irene Smalls says to Antoine: Thank you
for giving us a Black hero. Do you see the Equalizer as blossoming into a
franchise?

AF:
I hope so, but that’d be up to the audience.

KW:
Larry Greenberg says: Antoine, I have only seen the trailer for The Equalizer,
but I was blown away by the cinematography. How were you able to achieve that
look?

AF:
With the help of a great cinematographer, Mauro Fiore
[Oscar-winner for Avatar].

KW:
Pittsburgh publisher Robin Beckham asks As an Academy
Award-winning actor, what is it like to work again with one of the few
African-American directors, Pittsburgh
born, Training Day director Antoine Fuqua? Is there some special “brother”
chemistry in action while working together?

DW:
[LOL, speaks while Antoine also laughs heartily] Yes, we
have the ”brother” meeting every weekend, at the Brotherhood of Black Directors
and Black Actors’ meeting. No, Antoine is obviously very talented, and we’ve
had some success in the past, and I also look forward to our next opportunity.

KW:
Director Rel Dowdell says: Denzel, you
have set the standard of excellence for African-American actors for so long. Is
there any type of film that you haven't had the chance to act in yet that you
would like to?

DW:
No. [Laughs again, then pauses to think] I don’t know...
There’s no wish list, but thanks for asking, Rel.

KW:
Editor Lisa Loving asks Denzel: Have
you ever taken on a role that, when you were in the middle of it, made you
think – wait, this is impossible?

DW:
What does Lisa mean by impossible? Impossible to do or to be
or in some other way?

KW:
I have no idea. I’m just reading what was sent in.

DW:
Don’t shoot the messenger, right? [Chuckles]

KW:
Yeah.

KW:
Lisa also says: Antoine, based on your childhood, would
your mom have been surprised to know all that you were going to accomplish in your
professional career?

AF:
Absolutely! Absolutely! I played sports. She would never
think I was going to be a director. That wasn’t part of our daily
conversations.

KW:Hirangi Patel asks Denzel: What
can you reveal about your character Robert McCall’s mysterious back story?

DW:
It wouldn’t be mysterious anymore, if I revealed it. [Antoine
chuckles in background] You have to go to the movie and see.

KW:Dr. Joy Ohayia would like to ask
Denzel: What is your secret to staying in fantastic shape for your
action movies?

DW:
There’s no easy way. Going to the gym, and a good diet and
exercise. Well, I guess there are some magic pills available these days, but I
don’t take any of ‘em. I may start, though. [Laughs]

KW:
Harriet Pakula-Teweles: What message
about this action hero do you hope viewers take away from the film?

DW:
Maybe Antoine will answer that question, butI never do because it all depends upon
what each viewer brings to the film. The idea is just to have a good time. It’s
not a big deal. Is there a message, Antoine?

AF:
No, just doin’ the right thing. He’s a guy who does the
right thing, what’s necessary to help others.

KW:
David Roth asks Antoine about The Equalizer: Why would a black man attempting to disappear choose to live
in a predominantly white community?

AF:
[While Denzel bellows in the background] who says it’s a
white community?

DW:
Actually, it’s a black and Hispanic community.

KW:
Aaron Moyne: If you had the power
to equalize social injustices in real-life, what would be the first one you'd
tackle?

DW:
Who’s that one for?

KW:
He didn’t say.

DW:
You got that one, Antoine?

AF:
That’s a tough one. There’s a lot of things that need
equalizing.

DW:
Yeah. Just getting along, Aaron, and having respect for your fellow man.

KW:
Kate Newell asks: Denzel, would you ever
consider a career in politics?

DW:
[Emphatically] No!

KW:
Claudia Thorne asks Denzel: I would love it if you
were the commencement speaker at my graduation from Howard University
next year.

DW:
Thank you, Claudia.

KW:
Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: What
advice do you have for aspiring minority actors and directors, and did either
of you have a protégé?

DW:
Don’t look at yourself as a minority.

AF:
Yeah. Yeah, that’s right.

KW:
Tony Noel asks Denzel: How have you managed to avoid
having your life splashed across the tabloids?DW: You
can’t, unless you stay in the house. [Belly laughter from both]

KW:
Tony asks Denzel: Is there an outcome
or theme of a movie of yours that you would change if you could?

DW:
I don’t know. We actually changed the ending in Training
Day. In the original one, he lived. He walked away into an airport or
something.

AF:
Yeah.

DW:
We changed the ending since, in order to justify Alonzo
Harris’ living in the worst way, he had to die in the worst way, which he did.

KW:
Steve Kramer says: I played the
piano for "The All Nite Strut" and worked with your then girlfriend…

DW:
[Denzel cuts me off] Get outta here! Pauletta?

KW:
Yes, with Pauletta in Boston and Toronto.
I was a skinny white guy with a big Jew-fro back then.

DW:[LOL] A skinny guy white guy with
a big Jew-fro?

KW:
Yep.

DW:
Okay, I’ll ask my wife.

KW:
Steve was wondering whether you remember
walking the streets of Boston
with him right before the release of your first movie, Carbon Copy, when he
told you there was no greater woman than Pauletta?

DW:
Well, I’m glad I listened to him. [Chuckles]

KW:
Denzel, city bus driver Kevin Kenna would like to know whether you have any fond
memories of Philadelphia?

DW:
Yeah, my son went to the University of Pennsylvania,
so I have a lot of great memories from visiting him and working there… Cheese
steaks and going to the Palestra to watch basketball games.

KW:
Richie von der Schmidt asks Denzel about Philadelphia:
Do you agree that “A bologna
sandwich is a satisfactory meal, whereas caviar and champagne, roast duck and
baked Alaska, that might be considered a
delightful meal,” which is a line of your characters from the film Philadelphia.

DW:
You gotta ask [director] Jonathan Demme.

KW:
Documentary filmmaker Kevin Williams is curious about how working on A Soldier's Story and For Queen and Country
improved your craft as an actor? You were so great in those early films.

DW:
Well, A Soldier’s Story was a Pulitzer Prize-winning play
first. I was one of the original cast members with Sam Jackson, among others in
the play. We had great success off-Broadway even before we did the movie. It
was a tremendous experience.

DW:
We’ll all retire from life at some point, but no. The great
thing about acting is you don’t necessarily have to retire. 80 seems to be
around the age that people seem to ease out of it. Gene Hackman… Sidney
Poitier… So, I have a whole ‘nother quarter to go.

KW:
Sangeetha Subram asks: Denzel, how
did you come to produce this film?

DW:
It’s just a title. It really was a collaborative process. We
all got involved as soon as we were given the script. I’m not a numbers
cruncher. I just helped make sure we put the best film we could onscreen.

KW:
Bernadette, Antoine, What was it
like directing Denzel again?

DW:
Oh, I’m going to walk away while you answer that one.
[Laughs]

AF:
Amazing. He’s simply amazing! You can’t ask for better.

KW:
Professor/Fillmaker/Author Hisani Dubose asks: How has the Hollywood
studios becoming part of conglomerates affected your ability to work? Do you
think it’s feasible for independent productions to go after theatrical release
these days?

AF:
It’s always been big business. It doesn’t affect it any more
now than it did 30 or 40 years ago. You just have to do the work.

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The Sly Fox Film Reviews

KamWilliams.com

The Sly Fox Film Reviews publishes the content of film critic Kam Williams. Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2008, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, he has an MA in English from Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.